Analysis of liposome model systems by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry

Jelena Lovrić; Jacqueline D Keighron; Tina B Angerer; Xianchan Li; Per Malmberg; John S Fletcher; Andrew G Ewing

doi:10.1002/sia.5623

Analysis of liposome model systems by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry

Surf Interface Anal. 2014 Nov;46(Suppl 1):74-78. doi: 10.1002/sia.5623.

Authors

Jelena Lovrić¹, Jacqueline D Keighron¹, Tina B Angerer², Xianchan Li¹, Per Malmberg¹, John S Fletcher², Andrew G Ewing³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden.
² Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden.
³ Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden ; Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden.

Abstract

Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is an important technique for studying chemical composition of micrometer scale objects due to its high spatial resolution imaging capabilities and chemical specificity. In this work we focus on the application of ToF-SIMS to gain insight into the chemistry of micrometer size liposomes as a potential model for neurotransmitter vesicles. Two models of giant liposomes were analyzed: histamine and aqueous two phase system (ATPS)-containing liposomes. Characterization of the internal structure of single fixed liposomes was done both with the Bi₃⁺ and C₆₀⁺ ion sources. The depth profiling capability of ToF-SIMS was used to investigate the liposome interior.

Keywords: ToF-SIMS; aqueous two phase system; depth profile analysis; histamine; imaging; liposome.

Grants and funding

R01 GM113746/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States